Last week, we were lucky enough to receive a visit from chef Aarón Sánchez. Stopping by the Latina offices, he and the Ortega team shared news about an exciting new product, the Fiesta Flats. These fun taco shells are a great way to serve appetizers, and chef Aarón has developed some exciting new recipes for Ortega featuring the Fiesta Flats and the Fiesta Flat Minis. Naturally gluten-free, we loved the versatility of these shells, whether you're serving up some of your favorite ceviche or making them a part of your DIY taco bar.

For our money, one of the best recipes was this super-easy take on a layered dip. For a simple but sure-to-wow-them appetizer, try Aarón Sánchez's Seven-Layer Dip Fiesta Flats!

This easy vegetarian soup recipe created by Chef Aaron Sanchez and made with Ortega products and your favorite Latin ingredients is a perfect starter. Mix it up midweek for a quick appetizer or make in advance and serve as an after school snack.

These bites of deliciousness are perfect for any sort of party, especially tailgates (or the Super Bowl!). They are my version of chicken wings, dreamed up with my colleague Alex Garcia from Food Network. Serve it with my Tamarind-Pasilla BBQ Sauce and you’re sure to have a crowd-pleaser.

In the north of Mexico, where I’m from, chunks of luscious braised pork wade in ruddy sauce. If the pot was big enough, I swear I’d jump right in. This is my soul food. This is carne con chile Colorado.

And no, it’s not from the state of Colorado. Colorado basically means “red” in Spanish, as in the color imparted by chiles like guajilos and anchos. When I was ittle and my mom would make this dish, the house would have this unbelievable aroma of tomatoes and tomatillos, garlic and onions, all charring on a comal. This more than anything else, my mom always says, is the smell of a Mexican kitchen.

You see this basic combination of ingredients in various forms throughout the country, from that mind-blowing pork to the marinade for thin slices of beef browning over charcoal in the street markets of Oaxaca, to big pots of pozole, the hominy stew that’s the world’s greatest hangover cure. But my Chile Colorado Sauce distills the flavors into a puree that you can turn into multiple dishes. It’s a beautiful thing: a little tangy from the tomatillos, a touch sweet from the tomatoes and onions, and packed with flavor (not heat) from the ancho and guajillo chiles. And making it fills your kitchen with the same awesome smells I was blessed to experience growing up.

This week, you crushed on Gabe Saporta, the lead singer (and lanky hottie) of alternative rock band Cobra Starship. The Uruguayan singer snagged more than 50 percent of votes, beating out Boricua salseroMarc Anthony and Mexican American chef Aarón Sánchez.

With a few nationally-recognized restaurants under his belt, not to mention a slew of cookbooks, oh and did we mention all those shows on the Food Network (and a new one on Spanish-language network Utilisima), you would think that famed chef Aarón Sánchez would pretty much have a lock on the kitchen in his family for the holidays! But, you would be forgetting that his mother is the wonderful Zarela Martinez, also known as the inventor of upscale Mexican cuisine.

Renowned Mexican American chef Aarón Sánchez will debut his new show, Aarón Loves New York, on Utilisima, the Fox-owned all-original Spanish Lifestyle cable network (which has been available on US cable networks since July 2010), on Sunday, November 6. “This is a really good representation of second generation Latinos rescuing their roots,” he says about the show. “It’s basically an insight into the way I cook and what I love and what inspires me everyday.”

We've seen the first two episodes of American Idol season 10, and we're happy to report that new AI judge, Jennifer Lopez doesn't disappoint. She's all of the things that people are saying she is: swift, sassy, compassionate, tough when she needs to be, and right on the money when it comes to spotting America's next big superstars.

Watching La Lopez do her thing behind the judge's table got us thinking about other Latin TV judges who have her sass-meets-class attitude. Here are a few of our favorites.

Take your taste buds on a trip through Chile without ever leaving New York City. Through this week, Centrico Restaurant will have a delicious menu highlighting the country’s different flavors and high-quality ingredients.

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